Major construction projects cause traffic congestion: Minister

The increasing number of development projects in Colombo and its suburbs has caused severe issues in the transport sector, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva said.

Addressing the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Sustainable Urban Transport Index held at the Colombo Taj Samudra hotel, the Minister said that development projects, especially in the housing sector had ensured the traffic congestion in the city had sky rocketed.

The increasing number of tourists had also contributed to the traffic congestion the Minister explained. “The standard of living in Sri Lanka is improving. This has prompted more people to purchase vehicles which is increasing the number of vehicles on the road which in turn is causing the severe congestion,” he said.

This is a humanitarian issue and we have to plan our development with such issues

Despite the construction of highways and widened roads, the transport sector faces large challenges such as improperly planned cities. “In Sri Lanka there are no planned cities unlike in developed countries,” the Minister said.

The Minister of Transport explained that unauthorized constructions near railway lines and roads were a major road block to the development of the sector. “This is a humanitarian issue and we have to plan our development with such issues,” he said.